


Good Fortune

by Yuuri_and_Binktop



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Anxiety, Baz Needs A Hug, Baz Pitch - Freeform, Enemies to Friends, Fortune Telling, M/M, Simon Snow - Freeform, Simon needs a hug, confession of feelings, like seriously, penelope bunce - Freeform, simon has an anxiety attack, warning?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23255644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuuri_and_Binktop/pseuds/Yuuri_and_Binktop
Summary: Penny shows Simon his future and Simon gets a bit of a surprise.
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Comments: 2
Kudos: 108





	Good Fortune

“Simon, this is a terrible idea. I will not help you,” Penny said, using her mum voice on me.  


“Please!” I beg.  


Penny hushes me when several people look over at us. We’re sitting in the library, and I’m trying to get Penny to use her new fortune-telling mirror to see my future. She’s been doing very well in her prophecy class and so her mum got her a fortune-telling mirror of her own as a birthday gift. She says that she can see the future for some people, and she’s done it for some people in our school to earn some extra cash, but she refuses to do it for me. She says she’s too close to me.  


“But I need to know if Baz is actually going to kill me!” I whine.  


She rolls her eyes at me. “You know he’s not. He just likes to get under your skin. And he’s obviously succeeded.”  


I lean forward, over the table to whisper. “Please. Just to ease my mind then, if you’re so sure he’s not.”  


I can see her resolve breaking and I feel a bit guilty. “Si, you know I love you… I just don’t know how much it can help you. I think you’re going to have a great future. You’ll graduate from here, we’ll probably get an apartment together, get jobs, go to uni. Maybe have a relationship with someone nice,” she says, using her overly optimistic tone.  


“I don’t know about that last part. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to date me… I mean, Agatha broke up with me and I thought we were going to be forever,” I say, feeling guilty. I know now that I took her for granted. But I also know we just weren’t meant for each other, no matter how much I wanted it to be so. She told me when she broke up with me that we wanted different things from life and that we couldn’t have those things and still be together. I know she was right, but I still feel bad, like I should have been better to her. It probably isn’t a good idea to try to date someone while being in love with your roommate, who’s probably going to kill you…  


Penny reaches across the table and puts her hand on mine. “I know you will. Just because you haven’t found that special person yet doesn’t mean you won’t. I mean, you’re only 18. You’ve still got plenty of time.”  


I sigh. This isn’t where I wanted the conversation to go. “I bet your mirror could tell me if I find someone.”  


“Maybe. But I can only see about two to three years ahead. Max. So if it turns out you aren’t in a relationship until after that time, we won’t see it. And it will just show us a random point from somewhere between now and those three years. Does that make sense?” she asks.  


“I guess so,” I relent. I lean back in my chair and sigh. “I should probably head back to my room now and get to work on my homework.”  


Penny looks around, checking to see if anyone is listening to us. “Oh, fine. I’ll do it. Because I can’t stand seeing you look so sad. It feels like not helping a homeless puppy.”  


“Really?” I ask, excited. “I mean, you don’t have to.”  


“I know that,” she says with a small smile. “But, yes, I’ll help you out. But can we do it in your room? I don’t like to do this around other people. You never know what the mirror will show. One time it showed someone shagging their boyfriend… That was awkward for both of us.”  


I can’t help but laugh a bit at that. I hope it doesn’t show me doing anything embarrassing. “That sounds mortifying. Yeah, sure, let’s go.”  


We leave the library, and on our way to mummer’s tower, we stop by the cloisters so Penny can get her mirror and whatever else she uses when she does this.  


We head up to my room, and thankfully, Baz isn’t there. He’s at football practice right now and shouldn’t be back for another half hour.  


“Alright. Let’s get this over with,” Penny says, sitting down on the floor and spreading out all her materials in front of her.  


I sit down cross-legged on the floor across from her. “What do I need to do?”  


She glares at me over her cat-eye glasses. “Nothing. Just sit still and don’t touch anything.”  


I lean back on my hands and close my eyes, listening to her rustle around with her herbs and incense and the heavy clunk of the mirror being set down on the hardwood floor. After a couple moments, she clears her throat to get my attention. “Okay, so, I’ll say the spell, but while I do it, you have to hold the mirror while I speak. It’ll stay there until I do the spell that stops it, okay? Alright, there you go,” she says. “Ready?”  


“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, nodding.  


“Whatever happens, you’re going to be okay. Don’t worry too much about what you see, okay?”  


“Yeah, sure,” I agree. I’m pretty sure I’ll be dead by then, so it’ll be blank or something like that. I mean, what does a fortune-telling mirror do when your future is just that you’re dead? But it’s what I expect.  


“Alright. Here we go.” She starts whispering the spell, holding out her ring hand toward the mirror, and I can’t really make out her words until the end. “…show us the future for Simon Snow.”  


“Okay, let’s look at it,” Penny says excitedly. I see a fuzzy image in the mirror slowly coming into focus. We lean closer together to be able to see it, waiting for it to come into focus.  


But when it does, I’m shocked by what I see. “Uh, Penny?” I stutter. “Are you sure you did this right? I don’t think this can possibly be right.”  


Penny, too, is stunned into silence.  


I see myself and Baz cooking something together in a kitchen. He puts his arm around my waist and pulls me against himself. He doesn’t look angry. He looks…happy. He’s smiling and I am too. And then he kisses me right on the mouth. And then the scene starts over.  


And then Baz comes into the room, earlier than usual, and sees us huddled on the floor.  


I yelp and hide the mirror behind my back.  


Baz looks at us, eyebrow raised. I feel extremely guilty. “What are you two up to?” he asks suspiciously.  


Penny really helps me out. “Uuuuuh,” she says, obviously trying to think of something.  


“Nothing!” I say, too eagerly. Trying to pass Penny the mirror without Baz seeing it. But as fate would have it, the reflection catches Baz’s attention.  


“What’s that you’ve got there?” He asks, walking over to us, his eyes narrowed. “Looks to me like a fortune-telling mirror. You do know that this sort of thing is strictly forbidden outside of class, right?” He’s sneering at us.  


Out of the corner of my eye, I see the same scene playing out again. Please, Penny, make it stop before Baz sees it! I try to communicate to her telepathically.  


“N-no, it’s not,” Penny tries to bluff her way out of this. “I have permission from the teacher to practice on my own time!” Which is true, but she’s not supposed to be doing this sort of thing.  


Baz looms over us. “Well, let’s see it then.”  


I feel my stomach drop. This can’t be happening. First, the absurdity that somehow Baz and I get together, and now, that he’s going to see it? This must be a horrible nightmare.  


“No, Baz, you can’t,” I say, my voice wavering. “It’s my fortune and I don’t want you to see it.”  


His eyes glint in amusement. “Oh? That makes it even better! I’m so interested to see what the Chosen One’s future is like.”  


I am panicking so hard I feel like crying. “It’s nothing interesting. I promise. It turns out everyone was right. I’m going to die before the end of the school year.” I know that was a big lie, but I had to make something up.  


He narrows his eyes and he looks…sad? Confused? He’s gone several shades paler. “What?” he asks, barely a whisper. “No.”  


I feel bad for lying. But it’s better for him to think that than to know the truth.  


Then he looks angry, and in one swift movement, he snatches the mirror from Penny and before either of us can stop him, he’s looking at it. And there’s nothing I can do about it.  


I have to drop out. Run away. Anything but be here.  


I look at Penny, feeling like I can’t breathe. I feel lightheaded. I have to sit down… I sit down hard on the floor. I feel numb. My limbs feel heavy. There’s a loud buzzing in my ears. I feel hot. And cold.  


“What is the meaning of this?” Baz snaps, sounding angrier than I’ve ever heard him.  


And now he’s mad at me. I don’t want him to be mad at me. I’m sorry. I need Penny. Penny, help me.  


“Give it back, Basil,” I hear her say to him sharply. I’ve never heard her sound that angry, either. I just want everyone to stop.  


“I know you two hate me, but to do something like this is cruel,” he says, voice icy and full of venom.  


“This isn’t about you!” Penny shouts. “This has nothing to do with you! Simon wanted to see his future, because he thought he didn’t have one! You weren’t even supposed to be here!”  


“Practice ended early! Niall twisted his ankle!” Baz shouts.  


“Sorry, but I don’t give a fuck about Niall right now!” Penny snaps.  


Penny, please come here. I need you. I feel like I can’t breathe. I’m gasping for air, crying so hard it makes my head hurt. The mirror must’ve been wrong. It’s obvious how much Baz hates me. We’ll never be anything but enemies, no matter how much I wish for more.  


Finally, Penny comes over to me and puts an arm around me. “I’m so sorry, Simon. We – no, I shouldn’t have done this. It’s all my fault. Oh, Si. It’s going to be okay. I’m here, I’m here.”  
I lean into her, still crying, but I can breathe a bit more easily. How do I possibly recover from this? I can never speak to Baz again. I have to leave school. Maybe Penny’s family will let me stay with them until I can get a place of my own.  


“I’m so sorry,” I groan, still feeling dizzy. “It’s not your fault. Maybe the spell went wrong. Or, or the mirror is broken. I shouldn’t have bothered you about it so much.”  


I’m vaguely aware Baz is still in the room, pacing around, extremely distressed. I pull away from Penny. I know I must look a fright. “Baz, please listen to me. The mirror must be broken. We didn’t do that to get to you. We know how much you hate me. I’m sorry. Can we just pretend this never happened?”  


He runs a hand through his hair. I think he’s shaking. I’m surprised this is upsetting him this much.  


“Okay, Penny and I are just gonna go,” I say, trying to stand. I still feel a bit disconnected from my body, but I have to get out of here. “Come on, Penny, let’s go get some air. Maybe get something to eat.”  


We stand up and head to the door when Baz sighs and says, “Wait.”  


I turn around and look at him. He’s got a hand to his temple and he looks physically pained. “What?” I ask. I really don’t want him to yell at me again. I’m just so tired.  


“Can we, uh, can we talk?” he asks, looking like it’s taking all his energy just to say those words.  


Penny tightens her grip on my arm, probably ready to fight him. “I don’t know if I want you anywhere near him right now, Basil. I don’t trust you not to hurt him. You’re too upset right now.”  


He sits down on the chair in front of his desk. “Look, I’m not going to fight him. I just want to talk. Calmly. But privately, Bunce. Will you please give us a moment?”  


I look over at Penny. I can see she doesn’t want to budge. “It’ll be okay, Pen. Why don’t you go downstairs? I’ll be out in a few minutes.”  


Penny glares at Baz. “Remember the anathema.”  


I love her so much. She’s always there for me. She defends me and backs me up. I owe her. I should tell her later how much I appreciate her.  


“Thanks, Pen,” I say, trying to give her a reassuring smile.  


“Whatever,” she grumbles and leaves the room, shutting the door behind herself.  


I look over at Baz, wondering what he wants to say. “Okay?”  


“Do you honestly believe the mirror was broken?” he asks, his expression guarded.  


And (stupidly) I speak before thinking through what I’m saying. “It had to be. I’m sure I was just projecting my own feelings and that’s why that happened.”  


Baz tips his chin down a bit and narrows his eyes. “Projecting?”  


I realize what I said. He was never meant to know my feelings for him. Not when he hates me as much as he does. But I figure I’ve got nothing to lose now. I sigh. “Yes, Baz. I know you’ve hated me all these years, but I don’t hate you. I wish we didn’t fight all the time. I wish we got along. Baz, I like you, and every time we fight, it breaks my heart. I’m so tired of it.”  


Baz looks at me, completely shocked. And I know I’ve fucked up even more. Now he knows I like him. “You like me?” he asks, stunned.  


My face feels like it’s on fire, and I feel the edges of this panic attack starting to come back in on me. My scalp is tingling. “I do. I think you’re smart and incredibly talented at violin and football. I think you’re pretty fit, too. And I’ve seen you be nice to others. I know it’s just me that you don’t like.”  


I can see that his cheeks are a bit more pink than they were before. “Simon, you numpty. I don’t hate you.”  


“You don’t have to say that just to make me feel better. I know I’m an idiot,” I say.  


Baz frowns. “No, you’re not. I wish you wouldn’t say things like that about yourself. I don’t think you’re stupid. And I don’t hate you.” He takes a deep breath and stands up. “Simon, I like you, too. I’ve liked you since the first time we met.”  


I stand there gaping at him. “What?”  


He rolls his eyes and smiles just a bit. “Yes. You think I’d just make that up?”  


I feel flustered. “I don’t know! It’s just kind of hard for me to wrap my head around that.”  


“I can understand that. That’s how I felt seeing you in the mirror… Which, I’m sorry for snatching it. I didn’t know. I thought it really did show that you died, and it made me upset,” he says, looking sincerely apologetic.  


I take a step closer to him. “It’s okay. I mean, you didn’t know. I’m not mad at you.”  


“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he says, frustratedly.  


“Of course you do,” I say. I know he thought he would see something entirely different. “But if you do have feelings for me, then why have you never told me before? Why have we spent so much time fighting?”  


“Because I never thought you could like me. I thought if I did everything I could to make you hate me, then I couldn’t get my heart broken,” he says. And he looks so afraid. I wish I could make all his worries go away.  


“You never gave me a chance. I don’t like for us to fight. And I like you. A lot. I have no intention of breaking your heart. Would you let us try?” I ask. I know I’m asking for a lot. But if he likes me back, then it really should be simple.  


He’s blushing and it’s adorable. “I’ve wanted that for so long. But how can you like me after everything?”  


I shrug. “Can we try to get along?”  


“Yes, please,” he says, looking so hopeful.  


“Then let’s be friends, yeah?” I ask, holding out my hand.  


He tentatively puts his hand in mine. “Yeah.”  


“Cool,” I say, giving him a smile.


End file.
